Rear-axle transmission mechanism for automobiles.



EL L. WLLIAMS. REAR AXLB TBQNSMISSION MEGHANISM Pon AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FTLIKD 13110.18, 1906.

MARTIN L. \\'lLLlAMb`, OF SOUTH BEND', IINDIAA.

REAR-AXL TRANSMISSIGN THCHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

yPatented Feb. 2a, 1909.

Application filed December 18, 1906. Serial No. 348,387.

To all whom it ymay concern.: l

Be it known that I, MARTIN L. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State ofIndiana, have invented certain new .and AusefulI Improvements iiiRear-Axle support but is nevertheless jouriialcd practically upon asingle bearing, whereby I secure the advantages incident to a singlerelatively narrow set of anti-friction bearings or eqluivalent togetherywith the advantages of a re atvely long Ajournal support; to provide aconstruction. in which the chief journal support is locatedsubstantially in the plane of the wheel and the coperating support or ya construction in which the external face of the Wheel, insofar as itscentral portion which incloses `the journal bearings is concerned, issolid and therefore dust and Weather-proof; to piovide a construction inwhich a singleset of anti-frictionbearings forms the chief journal'support for the wheeland the race of such roller bearings is ofrelatively large diameter, thus combining ease of movement with greatstrength and durability; and in general to provide an improvedconst-ruct-ion of the character 'referred to.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 isV a substantially horizontalsectional, view of a rear axle transmission.mechanism embodyingvmyinvention, and adapted for the now usual shaft drive from the engine;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken on line a-a of' Fig. l; Fig'. 3 `is anoutside face view, on a ,reduced scale, ofl the wheel shown in Figl 1.

l designates the shaft which transmits the motive power from lthe engine(not shown) to the `differential gear which is housed withintliespheri'cal casing 2; power being transmittedto the ditl'erentialthrough.

the iiitermesliiiig bevel gears 3 and Ll. 4 5 and 5 are the journalbearings of the driving-wlieel-shaftmembers 6 and 6, and T indicates theiisual brake-drum, the brakebaiid being for clearness omitted.

yhe differential gear employed is of a simple and well known typecomprising a. pair of bevel gears drivingly connected by two or moreplanetary pinions.

The parts `ust named are inclosed by a suitable housing 8, which rigidlysupports the bearings 5 andl is secured at its forward end to a sleeve 9surrounding the main drive-shaft 1., This housing is, and may properlybe termed as, a portion of thel vehicle frame.

The rear ``heel (one of which is ShownV with its outer portion brokenaway) .is cotistructed in'two concentric main parts, which may be.termed the hub portion and the wheel proper, respectively. lOne of thepeculiarities of the construction to be described is that the wheelbearing is not within the hub, as has been usual hitherto,-

but is exterior thereto and preferably at a considerable distance fromthe axis of the circular flange 12 which is secured to a Iec iiiforccdportion of said housing 8, with tap-bolts 13.l Preferably, said hollowaxle4 l2 is made integral with the hub'portion l0, as shown. Said hubportion comprises the outwardly extending dished portion 10,

and a heavy peripheral portion 10 .f rovided with 4a lateraloutwardlyextont ing flange, 14. This flange, together with ,theperiphery of the hub member 10,. provides a seat for a detachable rollerbearing member,'or ball-race, l5, which is formed with an angularball-receiving groove 15. This race-1s held in position by means'ofaflat retaining-ring 16, which is secured tov the outer -face of the hubportion 10 with screws 1T; said ring having the same outer diameter asthat of the opposed flange 14,v

The wheel proper, comprises, essentially, a grooved spoke-holding ring18, the spokes or web 19, and an inwardly tapering or bell-v 'i thewheel.

mouthed outer face member, 20. This member 20 is made continuous orintegral with a hollow shaft 21, through the medium of which the drivingpower is transmitted to the rim of the wheel. lt being necessary tomake'this shaft detachable from its rotor member 6, I provide theseparts'with a slip joint which comprises a non-circular socket formed inthe part and a correspondingly shaped shank on the 4end of the 4shaft21, adapted to fit the socket accurately but not tightly, as shown at22. Said shank is made solid, for strength, as shown in Section in Fig.2 of the drawing.

Returning to the wheel: it will be observed that the spoke-holding ringcomprises the ring proper, 18, and three flanges, 23 24; 25; the twolatter extending outwardly and providing an annular spoke-groove thatholds the inner ends of., the spokes 19. The other flange 23, extendsinwardly, at the inner sidev of the wheel.

The outer and larger bearing-ring or ballrace may be in the form of asolid ring; but I prefer to construct the -saine in two parts, 28 and 28one of which is shouldered over the other, as shown. These members aresolidly. held together by a metal retaining ring 28, formed with a pairof inturned flanges 28 that'fit into grooves formed in the bearingmembers to receive them. This ring 28 is made of steel, desirably, thatis soft enough to permit its being flanged as shown upon the members 2828. rlfhe three rings 27 2? 28, form a piactically solid or yunitarybearing-member, which is seated within the spoke-ring 18 and againstiange 23 thereof. Said flange closely covers the annular crack betweenthe ball-races, thus excluding dust and mud, but stops short of theflange 14 and does not materially overlap the inner race, l5.

Th'ewheel-face member 2O has its periphery liattened, as shown,.anddetachably secured to the spoke-ring 18 with tap-bolts 30. ln case theretainer ring 28 is narrower than its seat (as shown) the plate 2O willbe formed with an annular iiange 30 upon its inner face, said flangebearing upon said ring 28. llhe member 2O is bulged outwardly in orderto pass the screw-heads 17 and to increase the strength of the wheel.For imparting a finished appearance to the wheel, the said member'isprovided with a threaded annular flange 31- which receives a cap, 4as32.

33 designates the bearing balls which ,are held between the races .andpermit the free rotation of the wheel proper, 19.

It is to be particularly noted that the wheel proper is rigidlyconnected, through its shaft 21, to the shaft drive at 22, which ,pointis laterally distant from the plane of It therefore follows that thelateral thrusts to which the .wheel will be subjected when in use, willbe largely sustained by this inner shaft member 6, which exerts,virtually, aleverage upon the wheel proper through the medium of saidshaft. It will therefore be understood that such lateral stresses, which,would tend to distort or injure said bearings, will be correspondinglyreduced so far as their effects are concerned.

The construction herein described is duplicated at the opposite side ofthe vehicle, and the hollow-axles 12 will be suitably braced. Themannerl in which the wheels are driven will be obvious from theforegoing description.

vWhen it is desired to remove the wheel proper without disturbing-thehub portion, t-heoperator jacks up the axle 12,-takes out the screws 30,and'pulls olf the wheel-face member 20 with shaft 21, which disengagesfrom the rotor 6 as aforesaid. The ball bearing will then be exposed,and either. of

its members may be detached after first slipping the wheel-ringy 18inwardly therefrom and turnin out one Harige of the soft metal retainingring 28. The hub portion of the wheel is obviously removable by takingout the tap-bolts 13.

One advantage attaching to this construction and not heretoforementioned is that only one ball bearing is required, whereas theordinary automobile wheel construction requires two.

The construction herein described may be varied without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the inifention.

l claim as my invention:

l. lu a vehicle a rear axle transmitting mechanism.comprising .an axlerotor; a frame member partly inclosing said rotor; a two-part rear wheelcomprising the wheel proper consisting of the rim, the spokes, and aspokeliolding ring embracing the in nei ends of the spokes; an outerbellmouthed wlieelface member rigidly secured to the wheel proper andformed integral Awith. a hollow drive-shaft which is provided with aslip-joint connection with said axle rotor; and the hub portion, ofrelatively large diameter and rigidly secured to said frame lmemberthrough the medium of a reduced tubular, inwardly extending axle.

2. A vehicle drive-wheel comprising, -in combination, a bell-inouthedouter face member having a lit hollow drive shaft formed integraltherewith, a spoke-holding' ring carried by the peripheral portion of.v

said face member, the spokes and rim, .a

4ball-race mounted within said ring, a noni'otative hub inember holdingupon its, periphery an inner ball-race, balls between said races, and ahollow axle the outer end of which is integral 'with or rigidlyconnected to said hub member.

A vehicle drive-wheel comprising, in eombination, a bell-mouthed orflaring outer face member having a hollow drive-shaft 'formed integraltherewith, a grooved spokeliolding ringdetaehably held by said facemember; the spokes and rim; a detachable vball-race mounted within saidring, a nonrotative hub member holding upon its grooved periphery.detachable inner ball-- race, balls between said races`,and a tubularaxle formed integral with or secured to the inner. face of said hubmember.

l. In a Vehicle wheel7 the combination with a diametrieally enlarged hubmember having a hollow reduced axle extension eX tending' inwardly andsecured to the fra-me o'l the vehicle, and a driving shaft extendingthrough Said axle and hub member, Said driving shaft terminating in anenlarged annular extension to the periphery of which the vehicle wheelis rigidly secured.

5. In a vehicle, a rezar axle transmission mechanism comprising an axlerotor, a rigid housing for Said rotor, a vehicle Wheel comprising thewheel proper, a relatively large non-rotative hub member, anantifriction bearing between said wheel members, a 'tubular member ofsmall diameter relative. to said hub member, and connecting the latterto said housing, an outer Wheelface member secured to the Wheel proper,and a driving shaft formed integrally with said wheel-face member andhaving a slip joint connection with Said rotor.

MARTIN L. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

-lonnr I). KIZER, FRAM; L. BELKXAP.

